Box Score

Score: Kennesaw State 60, Bellarmine 62
Records: Kennesaw State (5-7, 1-7), Bellarmine (3-10, 3-5)
Key Players: Amani Johnson (21 pts, 9 rebs, 7 assts), Gabi Legister (15 pts, 11 rebs), Stacie Jones (9 pts, 10 rebs)

THE STORYLINE
After the Owls were down 25 points at one point in the third quarter, a comeback effort fueled by Pennsylvania pair Amani Johnson and Gabi Legister fell just short with Bellarmine winning 62-60. 

COACH KHADIJA HEAD QUOTES
Thoughts on the game…
"What an impressive comeback, but unfortunately we fell short. Amani Johnson and Gabi Legister stepped up big time and refused to let this team go down without a fight. Amani is a competitor. She played every second this weekend except for 47 seconds and demanded 21 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Gabi has stepped up big on the box for us this year. We need all of her 11 rebounds and 15 points today. And I'm proud of Stacie Jones. She got her first career start this weekend and was one point away from another double-double. I'm proud of our fourth quarter effort. I'm proud of this team. We will continue to grow from here."

HOW IT HAPPENED:
Gabi Legister had a strong showing on Sunday, scoring the first point of the afternoon on a free throw 10 seconds into the game. Amani Johnson hit a trifecta a minute-and-a-half later to put the Owls up 4-2 with 8:25 left in the first quarter. 

Bellarmine would then go on a 1:38 9-0 run to put KSU down 11-4 halfway through the opening period. 

Legister and Yamani Paul would split an 8-0 run for the Owls to grab a lead; after two successful free throws for the Knights, Amani Johnson hit a buzzer-beating jumper to end the first with KSU winning 14-13. Legister had four points and six boards going into the latter part of the first half. 

The second quarter was a tough one for the traveling team, but it didn't start that way. Stacie Jones laid up the second quarter's first points to pull the Owls lead to 16-13 a minute into the second quarter. 

The Knights then went on a 5:36, 14-0 run that gave Bellarmine a 27-16 lead with 2:48 left in the half. Legister would end that scoring streak by laying up her own offensive rebound and the Owls two points closer. 

The halftime whistle blew and the teams returned to the locker room with a 30-19 scoreline in favor of the Bellarmine Knights. 

The Kennesaw State team walked back down the Freedom Hall tunnel to start the second half motivated to set things right. Bellarmine's Sheniqua Coatney and Jah'Che Whitfield exchanged layups in the first minute, but the Knights went on a 13-0 stretch that dug a 25-point deficit for the Owls. 

Making it a trend in the afternoon, KSU went on a 15-5 spell of its own to end the third quarter, started by a Breanna Hoover 3-pointer with four minutes to go in the penultimate period. Johnson would score six points in this patch and close out the quarter with another buzzer-beating jumper. The Owls had work to do in the fourth quarter, with the away team losing 52-37. 

It looked like Bellarmine would continue their dominance in the final interval, hitting an early three. Instead, Johnson scored seven points in a 11-2 Kennesaw State run to bring them within 10. In that run, Legister would grab her 10th rebound and secure her fourth double-double of the season. The scoreboard read "48-57," with the Owls yearning to make a comeback with five minutes left in the matchup. 

With only 47 seconds left to go, Legister got fouled while making a layup and made the and-one to cut the Kennesaw State deficit to five points. After that and a Whitfield layup, the Knights' only led 60-57 after winning by 25 midway through the third quarter.

The tension got palpable in Bellarmine's home venue while the remaining minute ticked away, then Johnson swished a three with nine seconds left to make it a one possession game. 

Whitfield fouled Breia Torrens to force the Knight to the line, with Torrens crucially missing her second free throw. 

KSU called its final timeout and inbounded the ball to Whitfield; her potential 3-point winner just missed with the Owls falling just short at the buzzer and Bellarmine won their third-straight ASUN game 62-60.   

 NOTES:
- Gabi Legister grabbed her fourth double-double of the season.
- Stacie Jones was one point away from her third double-double of the season.
- Amani Johnson was a rebound and three assists away from a triple-double.
- Owls outrebounded the Knights 49-44.
- KSU scored 23 second-chance points, compared to BU's eight. 

UP NEXT
The Owls return to the Convocation Center next weekend to face off against the Lipscomb Bisons on Feb. 6 and 7, with both games scheduled to tip off at 2 p.m. EST. 

To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State women's basketball news, follow the team on Twitter @KSUOwlNation and @KSUOwlsWBB or by liking Kennesaw State University on Facebook.